Another Good Save

[MalahatTwo7]

I had the opportunity to hear this come over the net on Sunday, while attending ICS200. The page came through at about 0930, and we had the Chief, and two FF's from NCFD in our class. When the report of possible persons trapped came through, they were out the door. From our classroom, we could see the smoke from the fire, which was about 5 or 6 blocks away. We also heard the transmission that was made when they found the first person.... that one brought it home for all of us.

On a kind of humour note, our instructor looked around and commented that you "could see the adrenaline flowing through the room"; our class was made up of EMT's, FF's and SAR personnel. It was easy to tell who was from what branch, and of course there were lots of offers to 'lend extra hands if needed' before the guys ran out.

Two women pulled from burning home

Times Colonist Tuesday, March 16, 2004

North Cowichan firefighters searched a burning home Sunday to find two women and pull them to safety.

The women, 26-year-old Tarsem Hera and 21-year-old Kamaljit Hera, who was pregnant, suffered smoke inhalation and serious burns in the fire and were taken to Cowichan District Hospital. They were later airlifted to Victoria, where Hera's baby girl was delivered by caesarean section.

Const. Jennifer Prunty of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said the firefighters had a challenge in finding the women, who were among 10 people inside the home at the time the blaze began.

"They had to go inside and try to find these two women. They couldn't find them right away because they lived upstairs but they had moved to a bathroom downstairs."

The women were found lying in a bathtub full of water for protection from the flames.

"It was a pretty hot and intense fire, so the fumes were probably getting to them quickly," Prunty said.

Five other people living in the upstairs unit of the house got out with minor injuries, while the home's three downstairs residents escaped unhurt. Some of the residents were injured in attempts to rescue the women left inside.

Prunty said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but appeared to be accidental.

© Copyright 2004 Times Colonist (Victoria)

[cozmosis]

The class must have been VERY interesting or your instructor maintained tremendous control over things. I don't think that I could sit in a classroom knowing there was a worker with people trapped just down the road. Not my fire? Not my department? Perhaps. But it'd still be tough to keep me away.

[MalahatTwo7]

For about 10 or 15 minutes after the initial page, we were all like a bunch of kids who had been promised a trip the to toy store, but had it cancelled. All fired up and no place to go.

It tapered off for a bit, until we heard the call on the person being found, the excitment in the FF's voice over the net was very powerful, and it was the not knowing that was worse I think.

But yes, our instructor was very good about it, and allowed us a few mins to just talk before carrying on. I think it helped that he used to be a Paramedic and Paramedic Supervisor for many years before taking a teaching role. He understood what was in our minds - no doubt it was in his too.